Analysis Of American Policy Of Ford Administration For U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

Because of the immense destructive power of nuclear weapons, people had to consider the question of how to control them well as soon as they were created. The U.S. had been searching some ways to limit strategic arms since Eisenhower Administration, after practicing of Kennedy and Johnson Administration, it was established in Nixon Administration ultimately, and strategic arms limitation talks (SALTⅠ) started formally. In accordance with the foreign policy of Nixon Administration which was détente to Soviet Union, President Ford committed himself to continue the SALTⅡnegotiation. At Vladivostok and Helsinki meeting, President Ford and General Secretary Brezhnev got some breakthrough, agreeing to hold equal numbers of Strategic Nuclear Delivery and Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle for both sides, in this way, the difference between them was less and less. However, neither U.S nor Soviet Union wanted to make concessions on the issues of the"Backfire"and"Cruise Missiles", which led to the deadlock of negotiation. Sides could not sign a formal treaty, nor was the SALTⅡnegotiation of Ford Administration successful at the end of the negotiation .Owing to not signing the important Treaty on strategic arms, people paid little attention to the SALTⅡnegotiation of Ford Administration. Citing a great deal of rare declassified documents and using some second-hand books for reference, this dissertation traced the process of strategic arms limitation talks between U.S and Soviet Union, so that it could disclose the essential of the SALT and the reasons why the negotiation was unsuccessful finally. We could also have a comprehensive view of SALT and got a better understanding of the relations between U.S and Soviet Union in Ford Administration by studying this issue.This dissertation used several theory and concept from the international relationship theory. Through careful researching the declassified documents, this dissertation tried to illustrate three viewpoints as follows: first, SALT is the result of mutually deterrence; second, SALT is the embodiment of theory of"Balance of power"; third, the reasons why the SALTⅡnegotiation of Ford administration lost in signing a treaty were that none of them would like to give up their strategic superiority, besides, the domestic and international circumstances were not good for the negotiation, and President Ford's own characters also effected the result of the negotiation; fourth, although SALT in Ford Administration was lost, this stage of negotiation played a transition role, not only succeeding the momentum of Nixon Administration in strategic arms limitation talks, but also laying a foundation for Cater Administration in SALTⅡ.